Display apparatus.



P. CANNON. DISPLAY APPARATUS. APPLICATION TILED MAY 21, 1908.

920,539. Patented May 4, 1909.

WITNESSES INVENTO/i M I M.

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UNITED PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD F. CANNON, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

DISPLAY APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. CANNON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and Improved Display Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip tion.

This invention relates to display apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus of this class for exhibiting merchandise of dilferent kinds, and havin a frame upon which are carried endless flexible traveling members which support the shelves for displaying the articles, the flexible members having the runs triangularly disposed so that the shelves travel horizontally, vertically, and at an angle both to the horizontal and the vertical.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the class described, which is simple, inexpensive and durable in construction, by means of which merchandise or other articles can be advantageously exhibited and can be mounted upon traveling shelves moving in a plurality of directions, and which is portable so that it can be moved from place to place as desired.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of my display apparatus; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing certain details of modified form; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the modified details.

Before proceeding to a more detailed explanation of my invention, it should be un derstood that while the same is particularly useful in connection with shops, stores and the like, wherein merchandise is exhibited for sale, it can also be advantageously used for other purposes where it is necessary to display articles of different kinds in a plurality of different positions.

The apparatus may be fashioned from any suitable material, preferably standard metal pieces such as I-beams, channels or the like.

Referring more particularly to the draw- Patented May 4, 1909.

1908. Serial No. 434,010.

ings, I provide a movable frame having sides 10, each consisting of an upright member 1.1 arranged in a substantially vertical, normal position, and an inclined member 12. The members 11. and 12 are preferably oined at their upper ends by connecting pieces 13. Intermediate their extremities, the members 11 and 12 are joined by cross braces 14 and 15, the former near the upper and the latter near the lower ends of the sides. The cross brace 14 carries a bearing 16 in which is journaled a spindle 17. Similarly, the cross brace 15 at the ends, that is near the members 11 and 12, respectively, carries bearings 18 in which are journaled spindles 19. In the preferred form of my invention, the spindles 14 and 19 at each side of the cross braces, have sprockets 20. These are consequently, positioned at the angles of right triangles, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 3.

Endless flexible members 21 consisting preferably of chains, are arranged to travel around the sprockets 20 and thus have the runs arranged to form triangles. One run of each flexible member is substantially parallel to a frame member 11, another run is substantially parallel to a frame member 12, and the third run is substantially hori zontal; that is, at an angle with both the members 11 and 12. The shelves or other article supports 22 are arranged between the sides of the frame and are pivotally connected with the inner chains by means of hangers 23. The outer chains have short shelves or supports 24 pivotally mounted upon the chains by means of hangers 25.

In the modified form of my invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3, I dispense with the outer chains, and provide in place of them, annular, rigid bracing members 26, which are placed between the members 11 and 12 of the sides and firmly join the same. Pivoted shelves or supports 27 are carried by the bracing members 26.

It will be understood that the article supports or shelves may be of any suitable form so that they are adapted for a variety of purposes; that is, for supporting articles of different kinds. The chains can be actuated in any convenient manner, by hand or by suitable prime movers.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

In display apparatus, a frame having separated upright members, flexible memof said flexible members at the outer sides bers arranged'to travel at both sides of each of said upright members, articlesupports mounted between said flexible members at the inner sides of said. upright members, and further article supports mounted upon eachof said upright members. 

